Mather Hospital earns top CMS 5-star rating
Northwell Health’s Huntington Hospital and North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset also get top marks from government agency
PORT JEFFERSON, NY – Mather Hospital received five stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the highest rating possible using data that evaluates outcomes, patient experience and process. Just 15 percent of the 4,654 star-rated hospitals nationwide earned five-star status, which used Care Compare data between 2018-2022.
“This five-star rating reflects the exceptional standard of care we deliver, ensuring the well-being of all our patients. It also speaks to our unwavering focus on patient experience, as a positive patient experience leads to better healing overall,” said Mather Executive Director Kevin McGeachy. “Our commitment to continuous improvement is the driving force behind this achievement. We are constantly innovating and evolving to achieve excellence in healthcare services, all in the pursuit of providing the best care possible. Our one goal is to do better today, than we did yesterday.”
Mather, designated a Magnet® hospital three times for nursing excellence, also is highly rated by CMS for patient experience. The hospital is nationally recognized for patient safety and designated as one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals for 2023 by Healthgrades.
North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and Huntington Hospital also received the top CMS rating. Four other Northwell hospitals received four-star ratings from CMS as part of its 2023 Five-Star Quality Rating System, which were announced today – Glen Cove Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco and Staten Island University Hospital.
Northwell, New York State’s largest health system and private employer, saw 11 of the 12 hospitals evaluated either maintain or improve their CMS standing since 2022. CMS, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, created the five-star rating to help consumers identify health care facilities by quality metrics, which include patient outcomes such as mortality, safety of care and readmissions, patient experience and timely and effective care.
“Northwell Health analyzes the results of each hospital’s CMS report each year, internalizes them, course corrects where needed and strives to reach higher,” said Michael Dowling, Northwell’s president and CEO. “I’m proud to say this was our best showing yet as a health system. Three CMS five-star hospitals on Long Island alone proves our commitment to quality care and excellent outcomes, from the environmental service workers and cooks to our nurses and clinicians.”
Overall, four Northwell hospitals improved their CMS rating: Mather and North Shore moved up while Staten Island University Hospital jumped from three to four stars and Plainview improved to three stars.
“Quality remains job No. 1 for all Northwell Health team members, so it’s gratifying to see seven hospitals perform so strongly across the board,” said Peter Silver, MD, senior vice president and chief quality officer at Northwell Health. “We take patient care outcomes and safety, efficient processes, and patient experience seriously. The latest CMS star ratings bear that out, but it’s a never-ending journey toward excellence.”
The health system’s initiatives to improve quality at its hospitals include a focus on infection prevention, efforts to increase the flu vaccination rate among employees, sepsis taskforce, transformation of dining services and environmental enhancements.
About Mather Hospital
Mather Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high-quality health care services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion, respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather has earned the prestigious Magnet® recognition three times from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Mather also was named one of America’s 250 best hospitals for 2023 by Healthgrades and received the Healthgrades 2023 Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ for the third consecutive year. Our Graduate Medical Education program prepares physicians for future careers through Internal Medicine, Transitional Year, Diagnostic Radiology, Interventional Radiology, and Psychiatry residency programs and gastroenterology and hematology/oncology fellowships. Mather was rated high performing by U.S. News & World Report hospital rankings in heart failure, geriatrics, kidney failure, orthopedics, hip fracture, COPD, and urology. For information about Mather Hospital, visit matherhospital.org or follow us @MatherHospital on Facebook.
About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, about 900 outpatient facilities and more than 12,000 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 85,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,900 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.